Toy Story

365 Films

Entry #50

Toy Story (1995)

Directed by John Lasseter

And now for the lighter side of things, which is funny, because the Toy Story films would only get substantially darker and bleaker as the series went on.  However, the introductory film remains one of the loveliest ever made.  Computer Graphics had already made their big splash several years prior with The Abyss, T2, and Jurassic Park but something about Toy Story felt special to me.  I’m sure a real film historian would slap me across the face for writing this but seeing the film for the first time is as close as my generation will come to seeing color film for the first time or sync sound.  It was like discovering a brand new medium and all the incredible possibilities that dwelled within it.  It’s considerably telling that Toy Story’s main thematic concern is a flashy, new tricked out toy replacing the tried and true faithful cowboy pull string doll.  Buzz is Pixar and Woody is traditional hand drawn animation and in the films utopian view of society they learn to co-exist and get equal attention as part of the cornucopia of wonders that live in Andy’s room.  At the same time there is a simplicity to the film that is so damn refreshing when compared to today’s current crop of animated, over-achieving crap piles.  This was six years before the Shrek revolution when Dreamworks heralded in the age of ironic winking and pop culture grasping replacing actual story telling.  Toy Story almost looks quaint by today’s standards and to think that when it was released, it was considered revolutionary.  It definitely was that, especially by the ever-decreasing standards of what passes for “kids movies.”   One might be noticing a trend here in that I take the utmost offense at lousy films aimed at children and young adults.  Seriously, that shit needs to stop.  Where was I? Oh right, taking a cue from Pixar’s guardian angel and inspiration, Hayao Miyazaki, Toy Story luxuriates in its setting and feels no need to plow thoughtlessly into its plot.  It may not have Miyazaki’s wonderful eccentricities, but they’ve definitely got his pace down cold.  This is a film that could have very easily turned into a seventy seven minute advertisement for all those entertaining Mattel products (to use just one example) and the fact that the filmmakers took those brands and created their own painfully unique and human characters out of them is a testament to their talents.  If you’ll jump ahead with me sixteen years later as I’m sitting in a theater with Nate about to watch the slightly dull but beautiful Cars 2 (it’s really not that bed, get over it everybody) when the short film that precedes all Pixar films comes on screen.  It’s a Toy Story short and as pathetic as it sounds, I am so happy to see these characters again.  Did I have any idea back in 1995 that I would spend the next sixteen years growing up with these characters?  And be utterly delighted just to see them again no matter what the context? No. But I really, really hoped I would be.  Toy Story is the kind of film that makes you want to have kids, if for no other reason than to pass films like this onto them.  Just to be clear, I said that is the ONLY reason to ever have kids.  I hope nobody misunderstood me on that one.